On keeping Sophie out of show business (OH WELL!): â€œIâ€™m trying to discourage her,â€ says Midler, who is married to Martin Von Haselberg, â€œbecause I think itâ€™s very hard and I think there are other things that are more rewarding spiritually â€” thatâ€™s the main thing. I (want) her to have a rich spiritual life. And some actors do. Some actors who really have a command of their craft lead very rich spiritual lives. But for the most part itâ€™s a business based on superficiality, and I donâ€™t really want her to have that. I want her to have a more meaningful life than that.â€ The question is, will Sophie listen? â€œProbably notâ€ says Midler. â€œShe doesnâ€™t listen to me now, and sheâ€™s only 7.â€ (1993, Hartford Courant)Read More

For the first hour, “For the Boys” is ,a dazzling musical comedy that displays Bette Midler‘s gifts as none of her movies have.

Unfortunately, the movie is two hours and 15 minutes long. ‘

Although the movie is wildly uneven, there is enough showbiz story to find enough scenes of Ms. Midler staging to make this ambitious film worth watching â€” at least for fans ofMs. Midler’s undeniable.talent.

For the Boys” is a sweeping musical comedy that follows the careers bf,two showbiz archtypes â€”the jovial comic Eddie Sparks (JamesÂ Caan) and the feisty singer Dixie Leonard (Ms. Midler) â€”across three wars. Modeled on Bob Hope and probably Martha Raye, these characters are familiar but somehow alien to ‘many moviegoers, whose experience with war stretches back only to the decidedly non-popular conflict in Vietnam.Read More

Smearing half a century of American history across the screen like cream cheese on a bagel, “For the Boys” has heart and cheek, maybe even a little bit of bite. But don’t hold your breath for any sign of a brain.

It’s the story of a song-and – dance duo who entertain the troops in three wars, as if Bob Hope had metamorphosed into Fred and Ginger and Burns and Allen. Except in this case, it’s Bette Midler and James Caan as Dixie Leonard and Eddie Sparks, who carry on their ownÂ war for 50 years while catching fire on stage.Read More